Franklin High School's Unified Basketball team wins gold medal at Special Olympics in Florida
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A team from Massachusetts has taken home the gold medal in basketball at the Special Olympics in Orlando, Florida.
Franklin High School's unified basketball program, which is the first from Massachusetts to qualify for the Special Olympics, won the gold medal thanks to a comeback victory on Friday against a team from Oregon.
Tyler Morrill, who teammates say is the team's Michael Jordan, hit the game-tying and game-winning shots in the final seconds of the gold medal contest.
I want to tell you the story of Tyler Morrill and Franklin High School’s unified basketball team.
— Liam Martin (@LiamWBZ) June 10, 2022
They just won gold at the @SpecialOlympics, and they did it in Hollywood-worthy fashion.#WBZThisMorning @SpOlympicsMA @FranklinUnified @FHSSports #inclusionmatters @bestbuddies pic.twitter.com/Lf2xSgNbpT
The team is made up of special athletes and neurotypical partners, and they have all formed a bond on and off the court.
"They have come here and they have shown everybody what they're made of; their compassion, their 'supportsmanship,' their abilities on that court. There are no words to express how fantastic this group of 10 really is," coach Lisa Burger told WBZ-TV in an interview before the game.
And in Orlando, they have become gold medal winners.
This is it. The photo of the day. Tyler getting a hug after the gold medal-winning buzzer beater.
— Liam Martin (@LiamWBZ) June 10, 2022
(From @LynchMom2) pic.twitter.com/pbQG8DsRSQ
"All this hard work paid off," said Jared Hamilton.
"It's not a team. It's a group of friends playing together," said Jeremy Rice, the team's other coach. And that's a sentiment the players echo.
"I've made friends, and those friends became basically my family," said athlete Kaitlynn Jones.
If you'd like to support Franklin's unified program, click here. If you'd like to support Special Olympics Massachusetts, click here.